Farmer faces ruin after arsonists torch barn

Fire destroyed two barns at Brecks Lane Farm, Brecks Lane, East Herringthorpe, after Helen Smith spotted smoke billowing out of one of her barns on Saturday afternoon and discovered that a fire had been deliberately started beneath a tank containing 2,500 litres of diesel.

The resulting blaze—which came within days of two other major suspected arson attacks—took firefighters almost four days to extinguish and damaged or destroyed a combined harvester, two tractors, grain and hay supplies and other vital machinery.

Despite a brave bid to save one of her tractors, Helen (38) looked on as her livelihood went up in flames with her vital annual harvest less than a fortnight away.

She said: “We’re absolutely devastated. I don’t know how anyone could do this kind of thing deliberately.

“The corn will be ready for harvesting in two weeks but we literally have no machinery to do our jobs at the busiest time of the year. It’s a disaster.

“At the moment we’re feeding the cattle by hand and relying on help from friends on neighbouring farms.”

More than 30 firefighters and six fire engines were at the farm at the height of blaze, which was eventually extinguished on Tuesday morning.

Detectives are now investigating the blaze which firefighters concluded was started deliberately.

Two youths were seen fleeing the farm shortly before Helen discovered that her barn had been broken into and a fire had been lit beneath a recently filled diesel tank.

Helen said: “A neighbour said that they had seen two youths running from the farm and climbing into a neighbouring garden.

“I went down to the yard and could see smoke coming from the barn. It was clear that it had been broken into, some panels had been removed from one of the walls.

“When I peered inside I could see that a fire had been lit beneath the diesel tank with a pile of wood.”

Firefighters were called before Helen bravely rolled beneath the barn’s roller shutter doors and managed to speed out in one of her tractors.

She said: “It was so hot and smoky, I couldn’t see a thing, but I managed to get the door up just enough and drove the tractor out as fast as I could. Everything else has been destroyed.”

Now Helena and her mum Olga, who has lived at Brecks Lane Farm for more than 40 years, have been left to count the cost and try to make plans for an uncertain future.

Helen said: “I’m a farmer and it’s not really a business about money for me. I love working in the countryside, keeping my cows healthy and getting a good yield each harvest. This has thrown everything into doubt for us.

“We have already had the insurance assessors around and they can’t tell us how much we are covered for. It’s a very worrying time.”

Olga (69) said: “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Anyone who saw youths acting suspiciously in the Brecks Lane area on Saturday, or has information about the blaze, should contact police on 01142 20 20 20.